Tuesday, October 31, 2006

My Bible Study is studying the Parables this year and its been wonderful.This week's lesson was conducted by a really wonderful pastor-to-be woman.She adapted a youth lesson for us and had us list 5-7 things that had happened to us this week.And then write a parable about it.This is mine.

As they walked Jesus said"A man had many books and kept themin a bookcase made of plyboard. When the books became too numeroushe resisted finding other places for them. The bookcase, overburdened, collapsed. You are like the bookcase, overburdened. Find a way to distribute the weight of your obligations and also...give away some books."The disciples listened and were confused.

Then yesterday he said he was going to be Superman. And he said it later that day too. So I started to scrape together a costume, just in case. This morning we discussed it and I, the Mom, was hopelessly wrong.

Thank goodness I thought ahead, I thought this might happen.

Tiggers' alter ego is Superman, when he isn't being a fireman or a farmer or a chef.So for the school parade...Superman.Tonight? Who knows!

Friday, October 27, 2006

3) Best Costume EverMy best costume ever? I was the cheshire cat in a school play once and I wore that costume for Halloween. It was a fushia sweatsuit (with a hood)with blue electrical tape wrapped around it for stripes. Nice and toasty for a Chilly Northeast Halloween. I was so much more comfortable that all the fairys and princesses. I don't remember ever being a princess for Halloween, come to that.Now that I am a grown-up librarian, I dress as the Cat in the Hat.

5) A Saint you treasure (please feel free to use the definition of "Saint" that is meaningful to you and to your faith tradition and life experience)

Well, I grew up Catholic and we take our saints very seriously, in fact there are 4 new saints this week! Now I am presbyterian and we are more informal about saints. It is summed up, I think in this wonderful song:

I sing a song of the saints of God, patient and brave and true,who toiled and fought and lived and died for the Lord they loved and knew.And one was a doctor, and one was a queen, and one was a shepherdess on the green;they were all of them saints of God, and I mean, God helping, to be one too.

They loved their Lord so dear, so dear, and his love made them strong;and they followed the right for Jesus' sake the whole of their good lives long.And one was a soldier, and one was a priest, and one was slain by a fierce wild beast;and there's not any reason, no, not the least, why I shouldn't be one too.

They lived not only in ages past,There are hundreds of thousands still,The world is bright with the joyous saintsWho love to do Jesus’ will.You can meet them in school, or in lanes, or at sea,In church, or in trains, or in shops, or at tea,For the saints of God are just folk like me,And I mean to be one too. Lesbia Scott (1898-1986)

3. Bobbing for apples: choose one and discuss:a) Nothing scary about that! Good wholesome fun.b) Are you *kidding* me?!? The germs, the germs!OK, this made me laugh, because I never thought about germs! Aren't germs afraid of the ice cold water? Nope, its good wholesome fun. Hubby is very good at it. He says the trick is to pick an apple and plunge your head in and chase it to the bottom for leverage. And boy, does he get wet!

4. Real-life phobiaBlood, but I'm getting better.

5. Favorite "ghost story"I remember reading one as a teen about a woman and her baby who wandered into a village and quickly died of some disease. The villagers buried her in the local cemetary. The next night a ghostly woman was reported to have appeared in the market buying milk and then walked into the cemetary and disappeared. After appearing for three nights, the town's people dug up the strangers grave and found the baby, still alive, next to its mother and three bottles of milk.Chills!

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Tonight was chess club a la library. It became "fashionable" several years ago to have a library chess club and so we started it. The former children's librarian was a whiz at chess and built the program to full classes and long waiting lists. For the most part children play each other, and some of them are very good. Some of them have very involved chess-coach-type-parents (parents were banned two years ago). Some of the matches became heated (one bad word and you are out for the day). And then that librarian left and it became my program.

I don't know how to play chess.It is times like these that you come to love your volunteers.

I had a teenage girl that I was terrified I would "burn-out" and never see again. And now I have another high school boy, a sophomore. The boys love him, the girls love her and everyone loves chess. It is a beautiful thing.

I don't have the turn-out the former librarian did, and I'm not sure why. OK, I don't know chess well, but I'm learning and I have competant help. Its on the same day and in the same place. But, on the other hand, I've had no discipline problems, no waiting lists and no headaches. I really enjoy it, where I know she dreaded it each week. And the kids are having a ball!

One of the regulars is a middle-schooler and I'm grooming him to be a future chess volunteer. He's serious about the game but also patient and good with the younger children. What potential! I mentioned it today and I could tell how pleased he was.

Over the years I've told some people that they would make great librarians. Someone who loves the library, loves people, books and making information connections, has creativity and a good head on their shoulders. I tell them that they should think about it- get a college degree and get your Masters in Library Science. Its not a glamorous job, I suppose, but its my vocation, my calling and I think that I can see some of the things that would make someone really right for this field.

I heard a radio* story this morning where in Connecticut there is a group that is trying to get kids interested in manufacturing, craftsmanship, a trade. So many kids are steered towards college these days that there's a dearth of skilled young people poised to take over in the sort of jobs we take for granted. And not everyone needs to go to college anyway (shout out to my favorite college drop-out massage therapist! Love ya!) Kids don't grow up with parents that taught them these sorts of things at home, and they certainly don't learn them at school. So, skilled craftsmen, machinists, plumbers, mechanics, automakers and such are telling kids how they enjoy their jobs, how they can make a life in this way. They are taking these kids under their wings.

Do you do this? Not necessarily "growing your own" but, do you know someone who would be great at _______________? Shouldn't you tell them? They might just be pleased that you think so much of them, but it might just plant a seed in their mind too.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

On Sunday night our church hosted a concert by the Praising Hands Signing Choir of Levittown, PA. They were wonderful! If you ever have a chance to see them, or see another signing choir it is an amazing experience!

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

I work at a library that hasn't done any "shelf maintenance" in the Space books since the 80's. Please face some facts with me. Books go out of date. Some of them rapidly. You can't give these books to other locations, poor counties, jails or anything like that because they are WRONG. Especially kids books. Kids read a non-fiction book and think what is in there is TRUE. And it should be. They shouldn't have to wonder whether the country they are reading about still exists, whether Mother Teresa is still in Calcutta, or whether Pluto is still a planet. Whatever they read should be true and up to date, in non-fiction.

Several weeks ago, Pluto became a non-planet. Fine. Doesn't really affect my life at all. Never been there, not planning on going. But all of my planet books are WRONG. And the scientific community apparently surprised the children's publishing industry. So there aren't any new books to buy that say this, yet. And think of the money that will be spent to correct this in textbooks, library books and such. Think of the waste.

Its not that I'm not for progress and science...I'm not for stupid waste.

I lived in Georgia during the state flag debate. OK, the old one was offensive to some people. I get that. OK, it was a relic that made a becoming-more-progressive state look bad. I get that too. But, do you know how much money it cost to change that flag? Not just the flags though, the Georgia flag was printed on most government stationary and business cards. And then there was the design teams, the lobbying, the referendum. Money that could have been used to improve peoples lives was wasted on the flag battle.

Its not that I'm not for progress ...I'm not for stupid waste.

I'd love to draw a comparison here about our consumer culture. Where computers last 2 or 3 years, where cell phones go out-of-date faster than yogurt, where soon we will be inundated with advertisments for new gaming systems that are only slightly "better" than last years gaming systems. I'd love to draw a comparison that shows that money is being spent on true ephemera. But I can't. I'm a hypocrite. I bought a new purse.

Friday, October 13, 2006

Heading out to work one drizzly morning I saw the neighbor acoss the street carry a pink armchair to the curb. It was trash day. I asked if I could look at it.I crossed the street and sat in it. The color was awful and it was damp, but it was very comfortable and the right size. Another neighbor helped me get it into my carport.

When my mother-in-law asked what I wanted for my birthday. She'd offered to re-cover another older chair and I asked if she'd do this one too. So we packed them into their truck and they went to north GA. We picked out some red floral fabric at this great little place on 441 and she got them re-covered.

My brother-in-law was dispatched to pick them up when they were done. He put them in the back of his open pick-up and proceeded up the mountain. My chair wasn't tied down and was surprisingly light. It isn't a wing chair, but it took flight! And crashed. The man who recovered it, fixed it. And they brought the red floral armchair to me in our little house, before Flash was born. It was the first thing set up in his room.

And when he was tiny, I fed and cuddled him there. And now that he's a little boy, we read and cuddle there. And sometimes before bedtime, I tell him the story of our chair.

And a poem...Briefly It Enters, and Briefly Speaks by Jane KenyonI am the blossom pressed in a book,found again after two hundred years. . . .I am the maker, the lover, and the keeper. . . .When the young girl who starves sits down to a table she will sit beside me. . . .I am food on the prisoner's plate. . . .I am water rushing to the wellhead, filling the pitcher until it spills. . . .I am the patient gardener of the dry and weedy garden. . . .I am the stone step,the latch, and the working hinge. . . .I am the heart contracted by joy. . .the longest hair, whitebefore the rest. . . .I am there in the basket of fruit presented to the widow. . . .I am the musk rose opening unattended, the fern on the boggy summit. . . .I am the one whose love overcomes you, already with youwhen you think to call my name. . . .

From Reverend Mother:Whatever the reason, my thoughts have been turning to cozy creature comforts--those activities and spaces that just make a person feel good. And so...

1. Comfort beverage - It should be something warm given the chill in the air. I think I'll choose hot cider, or BlackCurrant Tea. Iced coffee or an egg cream sounds good right now but I'm craving some sugar!

3. Comfort read -I read certain books again and again. The James Herriot books and American Pie: Slices of Life (and Pie) from America's Back Roads by Pascale Ledraoulec spring to mind.

4. Comfort television/DVD/music - I have my go-to movies for difficult days - Groundhog's Day, Top Hat, Ocean's 11. Grumpy Days for Flash seem to require Thomas the Tank Engine, even though he doesn't often want to see those anymore.

5. Comfort companion(s) - Dogs, already fed and walked and snoozing on the couch. A nice polar-fleece blanket. Some autumn sun. Some of my grandmother's Oatmeal Lace cookies, still warm.

I need a day like the one described above. Now, when can I schedule it?

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

We've been doing the Wired Word in our Adult Sunday School and folks, its been a rough few weeks (as if you didn't know). We've talked about school shootings, suicide, death, poverty. I know that its the way of the world. I know that this study is opening our eyes and hearts with life in the world and in the word, but

Its been really depressing. Each week a offer a prayer that next week we'll be able to talk about something upbeat. I'm not optimistic right now. See, it will arrive in my email tomorrow, and I'm thinking it will talk about North Korea, or maybe that congressman (who makes me so angry we'll just leave it at that).

So I went searching for happy news today. Hoping that I could find something we could use in class. Paris and Nicole are friends again. No. Madonna may have adopted a Malawian boy. No.91 year-old Australian man finishes law degree? Yes! And I found it at www.happynews.com!

Now my problem is relating it to the Sunday school, Jesus and the bible. Any suggestions?

Not the family! I know you were thinking that! No this is just a rundown of whats keeping me running at the moment. No wonder my house is always a pit.

Books:Freaks of the storm : from flying cows to stealing thunder, the world's strangest true weather stories / Randy Cerveny.This book tackles the bizarre more than the tragic.Losing Moses on the Freeway: The 10 Commandments in America / Chris HedgesChurch Book club selection and very interesting.The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane / Kate DiCamilloChildren's book, highly recommended to me by several librarians that think it'll be on the Newbery shortlist. Strongly reminiscent of Hitty: Her First Hundred Years. I'm half-way through (on disc) and I'm still not sure I like it.

Music:The Wedding Singer SoundtrackHey, I never said I had great taste, and most of this is singable and upbeat. And My ipod needs recharging.

Movie:Finally watched Kinky Boots. Its a british import I got on netflix. New company head trying to drag a "brown shoe" company into the black, by making footwear for drag queens. Darker than you would think, and more "real". Completely enjoyable and apparently based on a true story!

TV:LOST. I hate this show. They never tell you anything, it gets more and more confusing, the characters aren't all that likeable and I still want to know whats going on. Sigh.But tonight at 10 is my recent favorite. Its another british import - Hustle on AMC. Its a little like Oceans' 11 in that there's a very tricky con game going on and everyone is very cool.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Sunday afternoon, after church, after nap...off to the orchard to show Flash where apples come from! Along with several hundred people. So frustrating when so many minds think alike!

We went to the pumpkin patch end of the farm by accident. So, we'll see how pumpkins grow, right? On the hay wagon ride out...we blew a tire. Really! So we saw the animals, got a small pumpkin and left. Flash had a good time, I think. He loves his pumpkin and wants to get apples next time. Oh and he rode on a tractor and the wheel went pop!

Such a beautiful fall day, a family outing. God gives us what we need, fresh air and things to laugh about.

Friday, October 06, 2006

Seems a little early to do a meme about voting but, I'll go with it!November 7th is coming, get ready! Get out your Tidesticks - the mudslinging has already begun!

1) How old were you when you voted for the first time?21. Although I voted for Mondale in a school election.

2) What was the contest at the top of the ballot?I was in North Carolina at college and I did an absentee ballot so I could vote in my district in good old PA. We elected a president that year too.

3) Can you walk to your polling place?Yeah! And its so much better than the last place I voted, less people. Wait a minute, that's not a good thing is it?

4) Have you ever run for public office?No. I have toyed with it but, I am a naive softie and would like to stay that way. Hubby's dad is running for city council in small town GA. So, we're involved a bit. Hubby wrote a press release for him just the other day.

5) Have you run for office in a club or school or on a board?I ran for student rep to the school board while in High School, but it was a half-hearted attempt. There's funny story about it though. Apparently everyone thought my dad was one of the men on the school board because we had the same, rather obscure name. If we're related, its really far back but I probably got as far as I did in the race, based on that alone. Name recognition, its important!

Seems a little early to do a meme about voting but, I'll go with it!November 7th is coming, get ready! Get out your Tidesticks - the mudslinging has already begun!

1) How old were you when you voted for the first time?21. Although I voted for Mondale in a school election.

2) What was the contest at the top of the ballot?I was in North Carolina at college and I did an absentee ballot so I could vote in my district in good old PA. We elected a president that year too.

3) Can you walk to your polling place?Yeah! And its so much better than the last place I voted, less people. Wait a minute, that's not a good thing is it?

4) Have you ever run for public office?No. I have toyed with it but, I am a naive softie and would like to stay that way. Hubby's dad is running for city council in small town GA. So, we're involved a bit. Hubby wrote a press release for him just the other day.

5) Have you run for office in a club or school or on a board?I ran for student rep to the school board while in High School, but it was a half-hearted attempt. There's funny story about it though. Apparently everyone thought my dad was one of the men on the school board because we had the same, rather obscure name. If we're related, its really far back but I probably got as far as I did in the race, based on that alone. Name recognition, its important!

Its that time of year! Seminary league football! Our real first game is tomorrow. We will lose, but we'll have a ball! I should start by saying that we live up to our team name, the Tailgators. We invited everyone we know to play, regardless of knowledge of football or athletic ability. We have 37 players. We have over 20 women, several teenagers and a team babysitter. And we tailgate after our games. We're really good at that.

We're getting t-shirts. Everyone got to choose whatever they want on the back of their shirt. Hubby is our manager and coach and his shirt will say Head Chef. Flash's will say Junior Chef but we toyed with several others : Gatertot and Coach were my favorites.

I've never really had a fun nickname. No one called me Squirt, Tiger or Princess. Everyone called me by my name, which is a nickname, but not a fun one. So what do you choose for the back of your shirt, if you can choose anything?

I'm not entirely "sold" on my nickname but it'll do. I'm the Katerer.

Tomorrow my contribution isSpicy Meatballs.1 jar pineapple jam (or apricot)1/2 bottle spicy chili sauce (I like Thai Garlic Chili sauce)Heat these in a sauce pan until the jelly breaks down.meatballs (30 small ones...you could buy them frozen...)Put it all in a crockpot for about 5 hours on low.Easy, delicious and even vegetarian...if you get vegetarian meatballs.